Pixmania and Refusing Delivery

matski

Hey Guys,

hoping someone can help me out with some advice on this. I decided to buy myself a new TV and after some exhaustive googling and instore browsing I decided to buy the model I wanted from Pixmania. Only after ordering and checking my tracking number did I realise that not only is it shipped from France but is an Import model.
There is information on their website that explains this to be fair although id argue its not immediately obvious or clear how much of a potentially bum deal your getting because of this (specifically some smart features and Freeview HD wont work).
I know there is a 14 day period in which I can return it however shipping it back to France is going to be pretty darn pricey.
I am told I could just refuse delivery and ill get a refund when it goes back to them but I am worried this might not be the case and I could end up in a situation with no TV and no refund.
They only have one 0844 number which will cost me 40p a minute to call, I tried a few workarounds for geographical alternatives but they seem to lead to a dead end. Id rather not spend a fortune working through their purposefully slow automated system but I may have no choice (its cheaper via landline but they close before I get home from work.

Could anyone advise me where I stand? I have emailed them though I dont expect a response for a while after reading their shoddy track record.

As a side note I am now aware through this forum and other sources that Pixmania was always going to be a bad idea so understand this is all my fault!

Cheers,
Matt.

Collabora

try their number in http://www.saynoto0870.com/ and see if it gives freephone or landline alternative.

Pixmania is a french company, so most of their stock will be from France

matski

Thanks Collabora, I tried the number on there and sadly it just goes to their Validation department or something which asks for an order number, after 5 minutes of repeating useless info very slowly (surely to drive up the cost) I get a "Sorry we are unable to take your call".

matski

I got a response from Pixmania via email and they have agreed to contact the courier to return the item so I think problem sorted. I have asked for clarification on how long this might take and will post it here for reference.

bris

It's an EU model, same as every other TV in the EU, there is no difference.


Pixmania are one of the better retailers when it comes to warranty support so not a bad choice to keep it.

matski

Here is their response:
"I am afraid I cannot give you any exact time frame for the refund, as it has happened many times that the courier confirmed the return of the parcel, but it was delivered in the end. Therefore, we must wait for the parcel to be actually registered back in the warehouse, which should, in any case, be next week."

Fingers crossed anyway, as a side note I mentioned to them that they ought to be more transparent and better point out the compromises you are making in buying an imported TV and they replied quite positively though I don't expect there to be much of a change. I feel that its not a bad compromise to many as their prices are very competitive and there shouldn't be any harm in openly and clearly explaining this stuff. It would certainly go a long way to building better trust between Pixmania and its customers which judging by a lot of feedback is very low.

matski

bris wrote: »

It's an EU model, same as every other TV in the EU, there is no difference.


Pixmania are one of the better retailers when it comes to warranty support so not a bad choice to keep it.

Hi bris, unfortunately thats not completely true. The main thing is that the EU model of this TV wont support Freeview HD, I also read some of the customer feedback and there were claims that apps like Netflix wouldn't function either. Here is what Pixmania have to say:

- your country’s language may not be available in the menus;
- your country may not be available in the settings;
- if you receive channels through an aerial, they will be in standard resolution as opposed to 1080p (DVB-T tuner and not DVB-T2);
- you may need to manually set the order of channels. If you receive channels through a set-top box, this won’t be necessary;
- full smart services may not be available;
- the product manual may not be available in your country’s language;

Source: http://www.pixmania.co.uk/opcompatibilitetv-30217-sp.html

Needless to say I read all this after my purchase and it wouldnt be a problem to many especially if they had Sky TV or something but I dont and in the end it was only 20 pounds cheaper than Currys.

dirty

bris wrote: »

Pixmania are one of the better retailers when it comes to warranty support so not a bad choice to keep it.

I know this is an old thread - but whilst looking round for information on pixmania as I landed here and I must refute this comment. Pixmania have terrible warranty support, expensive helpdesk number and very unhelpful staff (only 2 of them speak basic English).
Please never ever buy from them. I'm currently fighting for a refund for a TV that they lifted 2 months and hasn't been seen since.

cajef

Long thread running here for many years about Pixmania, general consensus is terrible company to deal with and avoid at all cost.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=677665